Lost City (Stargate SG-1)

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“Lost City (Parts 1 & 2)”
Stargate SG-1 episode
Episode no. Season 7
Episode 21 & 22
Written by Brad Wright & Robert C. Cooper
Directed by Martin Wood
Guest stars William Devane as President Hayes
Jessica Steen as Dr. Elizabeth Weir
Tony Amendola as Bra'tac
David Palffy as Anubis
Gary Jones as Sgt. Davis
Ronny Cox as Vice-President Kinsey
Michael Adamthwaite as Herak
James McDaniel as General Francis Maynard
Gen. John P. Jumper, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, as Himself
Production no. 721 & 722
Original airdate March 12, 2004 & March 19, 2004
Episode chronology
← Previous Next →
"Inauguration" "New Order (Parts 1 & 2)"
Episode chronology

Lost City is the two-part finale to the seventh season of Stargate SG-1. It was originally intended to be a second Stargate film, and was then to be the show's absolute finale, and finally ended up being the seventh season finale after the series was renewed. "Lost City" served as an introduction to Stargate Atlantis and the events portrayed were followed up in that series' "Rising" as well as SG-1's own "New Order". "Lost City" also featured special guest star Chief of Staff of the Air Force John P. Jumper as himself. This episode was nominated for an Emmy Award in the category Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series and for a Gemini Award in the category Best Visual Effects.[1]

Contents

[edit] Plot

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[edit] Part 1

Dr. Daniel Jackson makes an amazing discovery while translating the Ancient writing on the colonnade that SG-2 discovered on planet P3X-439. The writing talks about a library of knowledge and Daniel suspects it contains a repository — the same type of device that once downloaded the Ancients' knowledge into Col. O'Neill's brain and would have cost O'Neill his life had not the Asgard intervened and removed the alien data from his mind (see "The Fifth Race").

However, SG-3 spots a Goa'uld reconnaissance drone while on the planet, which means that the system lord Anubis is also aware of the repository's existence. SG-1 must get to it first, so that they can, once and for all, learn the location of the Lost City of the Ancients and use that race's advanced technology to save the galaxy from Goa'uld oppression. Should this knowledge fall into Anubis' hands, nothing will be able to stop him. This time, SG-1's plan is to remove the repository rather than downloading it into a human, and then to bring it back to Earth and find a safe way to retrieve the data. The Asgard and other alien allies are not responding, so Stargate Command is on its own.

SG-1, SG-3 and SG-5 are dispatched to P3X-439, where Daniel and Maj. Carter try to remove the repository from the monument — with no luck. Suddenly, a full-scale Goa'uld attack rocks the monument, as Al'kesh fighters carpet-bomb the area. There is no choice: someone must download the Ancient knowledge into his or her brain. O'Neill assesses that Carter is too valuable and that Daniel will be needed to translate the speech of whoever "goes Ancient." So he does it again: O'Neill steps up to the repository, where the face-hugging arms come out, grab O'Neill's head and pump Ancient knowledge directly into his brain.

The teams return to Stargate Command where they must face the inevitable: O'Neill's human consciousness will soon be obliterated and he will begin speaking in Ancient. Not long after that, his human physiology will no longer be able to handle the strain and he will die.

Meanwhile, in Washington, newly inaugurated President Hayes has found a replacement for Gen. Hammond, in an attempt to put a friendly face on the Stargate Project when it goes public. She is Dr. Elizabeth Weir, a multilingual political negotiator who will be able to confer with leaders of other countries, who no doubt will want shared control of the Stargate.

Indeed, there's already someone within the administration itself who wants control of the stargate — Vice-President Kinsey, who has pressured the president into this bold move. Kinsey informs Weir in no uncertain terms that he is best person to have on her side when she takes over Stargate Command — and the last person she'd want to cross.

President Hayes, completely aware of Kinsey's history with Hammond, informs the general that he does not want him to retire. He knows full well that Hammond's experience will remain invaluable in the near future — but politics is politics. All offworld teams are recalled and the Stargate is shut down for a three-month review process.

No one at Stargate Command is happy about that or Dr. Weir taking command. For her part, Weir doesn't intend to allow Kinsey to use her as a puppet to control the Stargate. She is also aware of O'Neill's impending death and intends to deal with it. Kinsey wants O'Neill and the rest of SG-1 gone, but O'Neill's knowledge of the Lost City is crucial to winning the war against the Goa'uld.

The Goa'uld, meanwhile, are now an immediate threat to Earth: Teal'c's mentor, Bra'tac, arrives through the Stargate with the dire news that Anubis knows Earth has the repository of Ancient knowledge, and he is about to attack. In three days, he and his fleet will arrive.

Kinsey thinks this is all a ruse to keep the program running and SG-1 in place yet Weir knows better. And, because the knowledge in O'Neill's head is the only chance of saving Earth … well, Kinsey's private agenda be damned. She's in charge of Stargate Command now, not him. She believes that the threat to Earth is real and that America owes Col. O'Neill the chance to make what might be his ultimate sacrifice. Judging from the Ancient word that issues from his lips, the time for that sacrifice is coming soon.

Bra'tac returns home to Chulak. Teal'c goes with him, in the hope of procuring warriors and ships to protect Earth. O'Neill is about to give Teal'c the "if I don't see you again speech." But Teal'c is certain they will. The rest of SG-1 hopes he's right.

[edit] Part 2

A lot is riding on Col. O'Neill's "fron" (the Ancient word for head). Having had the repository of Ancient knowledge downloaded into his mind, he now, hopefully, will soon know the secret location of The Lost City of the Ancients, where the power to defeat Anubis is thought to lie. And, with Anubis and his super-drone army rapidly approaching Earth, SG-1 can only pray that O'Neill will "go Ancient" soon — even though everyone sadly knows that when that happens, O'Neill's physical composition won't be able to stand the transition for long, and he will die.

The process seems to have already begun: Dr. Daniel Jackson notices O'Neill has written some Ancient words into a crossword puzzle he was trying to finish while he can still read English. Daniel discerns that they are not words but syllables of two words — Proclarush Taonas At (At is the sound for the Earth Symbol on the stargate), the planet where the Lost City lies. But Daniel also figures out that each syllable also is a clue to the planet's stargate address — one they tried dialing two years ago without success. That means the stargate is buried. Maj. Carter uses the address to chart the planet's position in space, but they'll have to travel there by ship. Dr. Elizabeth Weir, the newly installed head of Stargate Command, reminds them that the starship Prometheus can't be taken now, as it is Earth's last line of defense against Anubis.

Teal'c and Bra'tac, however, have procured an unarmed interstellar cargo ship on Chulak. The ship was stolen from Anubis by a free Jaffa named Ronan, who joins them in their mission. They and SG-1 travel to Proclarush Taonas with a load of equipment that O'Neill has packed without knowing why. O'Neill also senses they're not traveling fast enough and he modifies the engines in a way that even Carter can't fathom. She tells O'Neill she has authorization to take control of the team if she determines his brain has become too overwritten with Ancient consciousness. Given the circumstances, he immediately tells her to take command.

Anubis begins the attack on Earth. The captain of the destroyer USS Spruance reports that the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz has been destroyed, and then a cruiser of her battle group, before contact is lost. Communications around the planet are knocked out.

SG-1 arrives at its destination to find the surface of the planet is molten. Carter surmises that since O'Neill packed Hazmat suits, he knew what they were going to find. He points out a bubble-like anomaly that Carter identifies as a perfectly formed sphere of molten rock. SG-1 rings into the structure as Bra'tac and Ronan move to a safe distance from the planet's intense heat. O'Neill walks to a throne-like chair, sits down and places his hand on an armrest control. The atmosphere in the structure becomes safe, and he removes his Hazmat hood. O'Neill then activates a holographic map that shows Earth and says two words: Terra Atlantus. The Lost City of the Ancients is the Lost City of Atlantis, and it's on Earth. Carter and Daniel are dumbfounded to have traveled so far and have to go back to Earth, specifically Antarctica. O'Neill then puts his hood back on and deactivates the map and atmosphere control. He also activates a panel in the floor, behind which is a power source (later identified as a Zero Point Module) he removes.

SG-1 signals Bra'tac to ring them out before the structure collapses. However, Bra'tac has been severely wounded by Ronan, who is really a spy for Anubis. Bra'tac kills Ronan, and, though he is weakened, still manages to activate the rings. O'Neill, who now seems to possess the healing power of the Ancients as well as their knowledge, heals Bra'tac.

At the White House, Anubis appears as a hologram and demands Earth's surrender. Hayes attempts to bluff Anubis out of attacking, by telling Anubis that they'll give him a good fight and asking for his surrender. Vice-President Kinsey runs to Stargate Command to gate to the Alpha Site. At the White House, President Hayes, who has been meeting with top officials, including Gen. Hammond, tells his team to stand and fight. He orders the Prometheus to launch.

At Stargate Command, Kinsey demands that Dr. Weir allow him to go to the Alpha Site. Suddenly, the lights, and apparently the power to the gate room, go out. Weir quickly tells a nearby soldier to close the iris by manual control. Kinsey demands that Weir let him leave, mere moments before an unscheduled offworld activation occurs, delivering a powerful explosion — Anubis has dialed in, and Kinsey isn't going anywhere. Weir leaves the gate room despite Kinsey's demand to leave.

Back in Weir's office, during a conference call with the president, Kinsey and Weir face off over whether or not to send the Prometheus to cover SG-1 at Antarctica. Kinsey tries to relieve Weir and take command, but President Hayes forcibly accepts Kinsey's resignation via speakerphone and approves Weir's suggestion to send the Prometheus to Antarctica.

In Antarctica, at the point O'Neill indicated, the cargo ship burns a hole in the ice with the ring transporter O'Neill has radically modified. Anubis' fleet arrives and moves in for the kill. Suddenly, the Prometheus, under the command of Gen. Hammond, arrives with a squadron of F-302 fighter jets. Though outnumbered and outgunned, Hammond buys SG-1 the time it needs to ring under the ice. There, O'Neill finds a chamber and utters an Ancient word that Daniel translates as "sleep."

Anubis's super-drones ring in and engage SG-1 in a firefight. O'Neill goes to a chair and platform much like the one on the fiery planet, removes the burnt-out ZPM from the platform and replaces it with the new one. He then activates the chair and platform. Thousands of glowing projectiles (later called Drone Weapons) shoot upward into space; they avoid the Prometheus, which has engaged Anubis's mothership, and destroy Anubis and his fleet.

Back in the ice cave, O'Neill, drained to exhaustion, indicates that he needs to go into the chamber he pointed out earlier. The chamber activates, freezing O'Neill into suspended animation as he says, "Aveo ... amacus," Ancient for "good-bye, friends." Carter, nearly in tears, is convinced that a way to save him is here, but to Daniel, it is now obvious that this base, like the outpost on the molten planet, is not the Lost City. As Teal'c wonders aloud where Atlantis really is, SG-1 can do nothing but stand and look at O'Neill, frozen in time.

[edit] Production

[edit] Writing and development

When originally televised, "Lost City (Part 1)" and "Lost City (Part 2)" were aired as separate episodes, the second part airing the week after the first. Each episode had its own opening and closing credits, guest stars listed, writers and title. When placed on the DVD, these episodes were edited into one episode 85 minutes in length, under the sole title "Lost City". According to the DVD audio commentary, the teleplay was adapted from a screenplay for Stargate II when it was thought the series would be cancelled after the fifth season.

In the original screenplay, O'Neill and Carter were supposed to kiss after he resigns in the engine room of the Tel'tak. The relationship between the two characters had been a running theme throughout the course of the series, and spawned much speculation and debate as to what the ultimate result would be, but the kiss was edited out when an eighth season was confirmed.

In the beginning of the episode when Daniel and Jack are talking, Jack asks Daniel for a seven-letter word to finish the string "up, down, charmed and ...". Daniel says "strange", which Jack takes as a comment on his question; these are in fact the names of quarks.

[edit] Casting

This episode (both parts) features the only appearance of Jessica Steen as Dr. Elizabeth Weir. Actress Torri Higginson plays the role in the eighth season opener, "New Order" and in Stargate Atlantis. Herak, portrayed by Michael Adamthwaite, has his final appearance in this episode, after being introduced in the sixth season. Ron Blecker, one of the SG-3 marines, is the show's military consultant/advisor — this is his first credited appearance in front of the camera.

Among the officials gathered in President Hayes' office is General John P. Jumper, at the time the current real Air Force Chief of Staff. The President's visitor, Bonnie, is Bonnie Arbuthnot, a development director in Chicago who won the SciFi Channel's "Get in the 'Gate'" contest for a walk-on role as a White House staffer.

[edit] Reception

This episode was nominated for an Emmy Award in the category Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series and for a Gemini Award in the category Best Visual Effects.)[1]

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[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "Stargate SG-1" (1997) - Awards

[edit] External links

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